Rabsj Talk On "The Manchu Bible: Language, Culture and History", Adam Ensign, Moderated by Michael Aldrich
ABOUT THE EVENT: In this online talk, Adam Ensign presents the two versions of Manchu Biblical texts produced during the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). The first is a collection of Old and New Testament books translated by Louis Antoine de Poirot, S.J. (1735-1813), and the second is the New Testament translated by the Russian orthodox missionary Stepan Vaciliyevich Lipovtsov (1770–1841) and edited by the British Protestant writer George Borrow (1803–1881). Situating the sacred texts and translation projects within the cultural, political, and religious context of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Adam draws from his transcription of the Manchu Biblical texts in the State Library of New South Wales in Australia and the Toyo Bunko (Oriental Library) in Japan to share intriguing examples of the enculturation of Christianity into a Manchu context. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Adam Ensign earned his BA in Biblical research from Central Christian College of the Bible (2005), after which he resided in Beijing where he obtained his MA in linguistics from Peking University (2012) and taught at Beijing Language and Culture University (2013–2016) and Renmin University (2016–2025). While serving as a translator for the Palace Museum (2013–2022), he cultivated interdisciplinary expertise through research-intensive projects spanning Chinese art, culture, and history from the Neolithic age to the present Socialist period. He has explored every major administrative district in China, including Tibet and Xinjiang, and visited countless cultural and religious sites throughout Asia. ABOUT THE MODERATOR: Michael Aldrich has lived in East and Central Asia since 1992. He majored in Asian Studies at Georgetown University, pursued a master's degree in East Asian-American Diplomatic History at SUNY at Stony Brook, and later took a JD from the Columbia University School of Law. During his legal career, Michael lived in China and Mongolia while advising international clients. After retiring in 2015, he now lives in a rural Taiwan village and is the author of four books on Asia: "The Search for a Vanishing Beijing: A Guide to the Capital of China" (2006), "The Perfumed Palace: Islam's Journey from Mecca to Peking" (2010), "Beyond Water and Grass: A Guide to Ulaanbaatar" (2018), and "Old Lhasa: A Biography" (2023). He is currently writing "Finding Them Gone: In the Footsteps of the Manchus".
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